â€œWe are currently reviewing the legality and constitutionality of the proposed legislation and are preparing for a legal challenge if it should become law,â€ Ken Coran, President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachersâ€™ Federation (OSSTF) said on Friday. â€œOur focus is on getting deals at the local level.â€

â€œThe government is showing contempt for the bargaining processes that are enshrined in law and that have always worked,â€ he said of Brotenâ€™s bill that was introduced on Thursday.

She proposed a new â€œPutting Students First Actâ€ urging the education sector to reach an agreement before Aug. 31, when the current contract will trigger an automatic 5.5 per cent teacher pay hike, which she said would cost $473 million.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said on Friday that he will not declare legislation to impose a new contract on teachers and hinted the Legislature will be recalled the week of Aug. 26 to impose a two-year contract if teachers havenâ€™t signed new contracts with school boards.

Two big unions representing teachers say their members intend to return to the classroom in the fall and the government is creating a crisis where none exists.

â€œThe Ontario governmentâ€™s decision to propose unnecessary legislation against the education workers and school boards of this province is puzzling,â€ Coran said. â€œReal negotiations take time, and imposing impossible deadlines can lead to unwanted and unnecessary conflict and crisis.â€

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachersâ€™ Federation of Ontario, said the 76,000 teachers he represents are disappointed with ministry officials.

â€œTo blatantly ignore constitutional rights and the labour relation rights in this province, itâ€™s extremely disappointing and problematic,â€ he said.

If the deadline passes allowing teacher contracts to roll over on Sept. 1 and trigger pay raises, the proposed legislation allows the government to claw back the money.

Not that i want to give the dingbat ideas, but all dilton has to do is say collective bargaining in this country has gone down the toilet since the prime minister got re elected, expect the same level of treatment for provincial staff

I say my opinion if its good bad or other, Just like you I have the right to voice it.if you get paid minimum wage, it's like your boss saying i'd pay you less but its illegalJohn Stalks me!!!!!

There will likely be strikes if the government imposes over bargaining. The government will call it illegal even though they are imposing rather than negotiating. McGuinty is in real trouble if he loses teacher support.

The teachers unions fund a large portion of Dalton's third party advertising through the Working Families Coalition. Losing their financial support will be a serious blow to the Tim Hudak negative ad campaign they ran last election and would surely have run during the next one.